Centering tool



Sept. 11, 1951 w. s. JOCK 2,567,338

" CENTERING TOOL l Filed 001;. 16, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGJ- I -F|G-'2- INVENT OR.

WADSWORTH $.JOCK

ATTU R N EYS W. S. JOCK CENTERING TOOL Sept. 11, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 16, 1946 I INVENTOR. 260 WADSWORTH s. JOGK ATTCI RN EYS Patented Sept. 11

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE oEN'rERmG 'rooL waaswqith s; Jock, Newald, Wis. Application ctober16, 1946, Serial No. 703,648

I 1 Claim. (01. 3.3491) My present invention relates to an improved centering tool or gauge for circular sizes and shapes of cylindrical stock, and designed for determining the center point of stock as well as for ascertaining and measuring the radius or diameter of the stock. The tool is of the well known Y-shape or straddle type adapted to be applied to the exterior circumferential surface and a transverse face at the end of the stock, and it is manually operated for gauging and centering the work and automatically retracted and reset for successive operations.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a tool of this type that is composed of a minimum number of parts that may readily be assembled in compact arrangement to insure simplicity in construction and operation of the tool together with efliciency and accuracy in the performance of its functions.

The invention consists essentially in certain novel combinations involving a reciprocable gage-blade and a co-planar carrier and its gage-pin with intermediate rotary operatin parts, and a punch or marker, as will be more fully described and claimed. a

In the accompanying drawings, 1 have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged in accord with one mode I have thus far devised for the' practical application of the principles of my invention, but it will be understood that changesand alterations may be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope of my claim, without departing from the pri nciples of the invention. 7

Figure 1 i a face view of the tool applied to a solid cylindrical rod or bar, and-projected for a centering operation;

Figure 2 is a side view of the device or tool of Figure 1; g V

Figure 3 is a side-view of the'tool, broken away, for convenience of illustration, and with' thein strument in retracted position;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view of the supporting parts of the tool, with the gage-blade or centering-blade removed;

Figure 5 is a detail view in side elevation, of the reciprocable gage-blade or centering-blade, also showing the relation thereto'of the-carrier and its gage-pin.

Figure 6 is a detail view in rearfelevation of the gage-blade or centering-blade;

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional View at line 1-1 of Figure 2;

Figure .8 is a fragmentary detail view with parts in section showing particularly the means ior releasing the punch or marker of the centering tool; and

Figure 9 is a detail view showing the spring detent and connections for the punch or marker.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the tool or instrument is of a generally Y-shape', including a tubular shank or handle I and an integral or rigidly attached yoke havingoutspreading or diverging arms 2 and 3 disposed at right angles, or perpendicular to each other, for frictional contact with the exterior cylindrical surface of the stock S as shown in Figure l, and the arms 2 and 3 are provided with bracing or strengthening ears or wings 2a and 3a respectively which extend outwardly thereof at right angles thereto.

Thetub ular handle, which forms a housingfor theoperatingparts of the instrument, is fashioned with a longitudinally extending slot 4', and a screw plug 5 is used to close the open end of the handle or shank.

For manually actuating the instrument in a centering. operation, I employ a spring-retracted slide unit mounted on the slotted handle, which can be moved into and out of operative position .as laterdescribed in this application.

The slide unit includes an exterior, longitudinally-extending scale blade 6 having gradations onits exposed face, and on one edge, and'a knob or finger-piece I is mounted at one end of the blade for pressure thereon of a finger or thumb in projecting the. centering unit.

iI h e blade 5 isprovided with a rearwardly extending projection 1 and head 9 which support flanges Bandfl'a. The face ofv the flange 8 is providedwith teth to form a rack' bar 83,. while the face ofthe flange 8A is smooth. The projection 'l' engages in the slot 4 of the'tub'ular vided with end collars ll, with which the slotted end'of' afflat spring lz'is connected, the other end of the sprin being fastened as by a screw to the outer face. oft'he blade 6. Withinthe head ,9, the punch If! is fashioned with an annular detent I4, having a U-shaped or formed head I fits around the groove I3 to form a trigger or trip device, for freeing the punch III, as will be described.

The detent or trip I4 is mounted within the flanges 8 and 8A of the blade 6, and it is pressed into detaining engagement with the punch III by a Spring I5 coiled about the detent I4 and contained within the collars I5" slidably supporting the detent I4 and anchored to the blade 6 (Fig. 5).

A pull-wire I6 is attached at one end to the detent I4. This wire extends downwardly between the flanges 8, 8A toward the handle or knob I and, by means of a screw eye I! threaded into the rearwardly extending projection I of the blade, is anchored at the lower end thereof.

The reciprocating movement of the blade 6 is transmitted by rotary devices to a gage pin that is movable in a plane normal to the blade, and adapted to impinge against the exterior circum- 'ierential surface of the stock S, for co-action with the punch-pin for ascertaining the radius of the cylindrical stock, and to act as a stop for the projecting or centering movement of the centering-blade and punch.

The gage-pin is designated a I8, and it slidably mounted in a second rack baror carrier I9 that is reciprocated with a shorter movement than the centering blade by movement translated from the blade through the rotary devices.

The rotary transmitting device includes a large gear 20 and a smaller pinion 2|. The gear and the pinion are mounted upon, or journalled on, a fixed stud shaft 22, which is supported in a housing 23 intermediate the tubular handle I,

and the diverging arms 2 and 3. A helical spring 24, is coiled about the shaft 22 with one end fixed to a removable plate 23A, secured to the housing 23 by a screw 233, at 23 and its other end fixed to the gear 20 at 20.

The spring 24, it will be apparent, is provided to retract the centering blade, and to afford a resilient resistance to the projecting movement of the blade; and the spring also performs the same functions in connection with the gauge pin I8 and its rack bar I9.

The rack bar 8B, which is attached to the blade 9, meshes with the large gear 20, and the gear 20 and pinion 2I are rotated by the rack bar 8B, so that the pinion 2|, which meshes with the rack bar I9, causes reciprocation of this bar with its gage-pin or plunger I8. I

Suitable slide bearings or guides 25 are provided within the tubular handle and the casing 23 for the rack bar I9, and opening 25' are 'provided in the handle for the rack bar 83 and the flange 8, for maintaining the rack bars in parallelism and in close contact with the gear and the pinion to insure accuracy in the movement of the parts and to assure efficiency in the operation of gaging and centering.

The punch I0 is automatically set or cocked, under action produced by the retracting movement of the centering blade 6, against tension of the spring I2, and this tension of the spring is ample, when the pin is released, to plunge the punch-pin against the face of the stock S to make a center mark. I

For setting or cocking the punch a cam-lu IUI (Fig. 3) is mounted or fixed on a suitable part of the tool in the path of the pointed end of the punch I0 for frictional engagement therewith. As the projected punch contacts with and passes the cam lug IUI, the punch-pin is 'forced rack bar I9 at the end of its operating stroke.

For this purpose a spring-lever 26, of the bell crank type, is pivoted at 21 on a bracket 28 fixed at an, end of the rack bar I9. The short arm of the lever i fashioned with an eye, loop, or per- .-iorated'lug 29 surrounding an adjustin nut 30 threaded on the protruding end of the gage-pin I8, and a similar perforated lug 3I of the long arm of the lever surrounds the Wire I6.

- When the upper end of the gage-pin I8 strikes the stock S a relative jerking movement from the rack bar I9 and the lever-supporting bracket 28, causes the long arm of the lever to swin away from the centering blade. This swinging action pulls on the wire I6, resulting in a pull that is imparted to the spring detent I4; the detent is thus withdrawn from the punch pin, and the released pin is projected by means of the spring [2 to mark the stock.

To facilitate operation of the lever 26 a spring 260 may be mounted on the bracket 28 to bear against the lever, there being an adjusting nut 30 mounted on the threaded end of the gage-pin.

If desired theinstrument may be used for marking other than center marks on the stock, i. e., eccentrically located marks may be g'aged or measured and indicated on the stock. For this purpose the blade is moved or projected the required distance and then fixed in its adjusted position by means of a set screw mounted in the bladeto impinge against the shank of the tool. Then by applying the fixed instrument to the stock the measured distance may be indicated by the scale on the blade and the punch may be used to make the mark.

In both uses of the instrument, for centering or marking the center of the stock as well as for locating eccentric marks on the stock, the gradations of the scale on the operating blade are employed for measuring and gaging the radius of the cylindrical work-piece.

In Fig. 1 the tool or instrument is shown as applied to the stock S which is of approximately the largest size with which the illustrated tool may be used, and of course it will be understood that this size of tool may be used with smaller sizes of stock. The tool or instrument may be manufactured in various sizes, but the ratio between gears 20 and 2I is so chosen that the punch pin II] is centered on the stock S simultaneously withthe gage-pin I8 rotating bell crank 26 to pull wire IE to release the pin I0 for striking movement by spring I2. Thus, the differential ratio Having thus fully described my invention. what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a centering instrument, a housing, a manually reciprocable blade slidable in said housing, a head on said blade, a punch movably mounted transversely in the head, spring means mounted on the blade and. attached to the punch for projecting same from the head, a spring actuated detent on said blade and locking the punch 10 against movement by the spring means, a pull wire having one end connected to the detent and its other end anchored on the blade, a carrier, a gauge pin slidably mounted in said carrier, rack and gear means slidable in the housing and operative under movement of the blade in one direction to pull the Wire to actuate the detent to release the punch for movement by the spring means, a means on the housing operative under movement of the blade in the opposite direction to coact with the punch for resetting the same against the spring means.

/ WADSWORTH S. JOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 229,777 Villa July 6, 1880 742,077 Sovelius Oct. 20, 1903 878,439 Wagniere Feb. 4, 1908 888,377 Wood May 19, 1908 1,386,152 Brigham Aug. 2, 1921 1,516,769 Geist Mar. 25, 1924 1,549,947 Wolfe Aug. 18, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,960 Switzerland Mar. 6, 1896 83,375 Germany Oct. 14, 1895 

